I Tried 4 Costco Kirkland Coffee Pods And Ranked Them Worst To Best

If coffee is one grocery item you absolutely need to keep stocked in bulk, then Costco sure is a great place to get it. Costco is known for having quite a few must-buy items, ranging from bakery desserts to an assortment of dips, so naturally, any given warehouse is going to be pretty stocked in the world of all things coffee, too. And any Costco frequenter knows that, despite all the brands you might stumble across during a grocery run, Costco's Kirkland Signature brand is one of the most reliable ones to go with.

As someone who loves shopping at Costco, loves coffee, and owns a Keurig, it only felt natural to purchase all four Kirkland brand coffee pods at Costco and put them to the test. While exact coffee pod inventory may vary by location and time of year, my Costco had four distinct flavors in stock: Summit Roast, an organic medium roast; Pacific Bold, an organic, extra-bold dark roast; Breakfast Blend, an organic light roast; and French Roast, an organic dark roast. I purchased all four of these blends and brewed them at home (using my Keurig, of course), carefully considering the flavor notes and nuances of each to ultimately rank all four Costco Kirkland coffee pod flavors.

Of all the types of coffee beans and roasts out there, I'd venture to say that dark roast may be the most polarizing. For what it's worth, I'm actually a big fan of dark roast coffee — so it was a bit disappointing to rank Kirkland's Pacific Bold last. To be fair, I didn't strictly dislike this coffee flavor, but in such a tight race (and with so few flavors ultimately in play), one of them simply had to come in last place.

The biggest issue I had with Pacific Bold was a lack of balance, and the final brew just fell flat all around. While there was a distinct robustness to this coffee's flavor, I was hoping for more traditional dark roast notes to come through — like ones of cocoa or perhaps even some smoky notes, considering that this was supposed to be an "extra bold" blend. Instead, after that initial robustness, the flavor sort of mellowed out into something very one-note and possibly even a bit muddy or stale. Now, it is worth noting that Pacific Bold is one of Costco's coffee pod flavors with rave reviews from members, though some feel the quality has declined over the years. Whatever the case, I personally found the other flavors more compelling and, overall,  better.

As I mentioned, I'm someone who typically gravitates to darker roasts — and, consequently, someone who isn't super inclined to reach for light roasts. That said, I see the appeal of a good light roast, as they're typically more mellow, acidic, and often (but not necessarily always) more caffeinated than their medium or dark roast counterparts. 

In the grand scheme of all the light roast coffees I've ever tasted, I'd actually say that Kirkland's Breakfast Blend was pretty decent. It definitely hit all those distinct mellow notes, with a certain brightness I could see someone reaching for each morning. I also found this flavor slightly more complex than Pacific Bold, with the slightest hint of an almost floral note — one that felt reminiscent of tea. 

All that said, in the grand scheme of Kirkland coffee pod flavors on this list, I ultimately decided that Breakfast Blend belonged in third place. Aside from those mild floral notes, there really wasn't much more to say about this one, and the mellowness sort of left me wanting more. A little more depth would have helped secure this flavor a higher ranking. As is, this is one flavor I would comfortably recommend to someone who knows they most definitely prefer lighter roasts, but not necessarily to someone taking their first foray into the world of coffee roasts.

After feeling a bit disappointed with Kirkland's Pacific Bold blend, I still hoped that Costco would come through with a decent dark roast coffee pod option. Fortunately, Costco did indeed come through with its Kirkland French Roast, a dark roast that I not only think is worth purchasing, but also worthy of being your go-to coffee pod of choice.

Something that disappointed me about the Pacific Bold blend is that there wasn't a whole lot of complexity at play — it was just a starkly robust coffee, and one that struck me as a little too harsh. French roast definitely has a certain robustness, but it's also nicely balanced with notes of cocoa and even a nice smokiness. I found this to be the more complex of the two dark roasts on this list, and I think those distinct French roast smoky notes are the key. I will say that this is the type of brew you really have to know you like for it to be worth your while; it's strong and, without a doubt, a dark roast, so if you aren't typically a dark-roast lover, you might find this one a bit too intense. But for anyone who loves a good dark roast (and specifically a French roast at that), I think Kirkland's take on it is a very solid, complex option.

Of all the types of coffee roasts out there, it's typically pretty hard to go wrong with a medium roast. Obviously, the coffee itself has to at least be decent, but a medium roast often boasts a nice, balanced flavor profile (not too robust but not too mellow), perfect for the average coffee drinker. And, fortunately, Kirkland's Summit Roast, a medium roast blend, definitely strikes that sweet spot, offering a smooth sip I'll gladly return to for future brews.

What immediately struck me about Summit Roast was how neutral it was. Now, for many types of drinks or foods out there, neutral wouldn't necessarily be the most desired descriptor, but as someone who drinks a lot of black coffee, it's exactly what I'm looking for in a day-to-day blend. Something that tastes balanced, hits those essential acidic notes while still having some level of bold depth, and is overall smooth and enjoyable — all things that Summit Roast does well. I also appreciated that there was a bit of complexity, with subtle chocolate notes shining through to balance the more acidic notes. Overall, I genuinely enjoyed sipping on Summit Roast, and I feel confident recommending it to any medium-roast lover out there — you really can't go wrong with such a crowd-pleasing flavor, and if there's one pod worth stocking up on, it's this one.

When sampling these four Costco Kirkland coffee pod flavors, I felt it was important to first sample them one by one and then all of them side by side to get a full scope of comparison. So, I initially tried the four flavors as stand-alone cups over a few days. When drinking each cup, I paid close attention to any flavor notes and generally used this time to determine if I simply liked the flavor (and, if I didn't, exactly why that might be). Then, I brewed all four flavors and took sips of each one, side by side, a process that made it easier to pinpoint exactly where the flavors were similar and different. 

In terms of how I determined my ranking of these flavors, much of it came down to personal taste. However, I tried to take a more general approach to each flavor, noting where it was successful or lived up to its type of roast (even if that roast isn't necessarily one I typically reach for). I prepared each cup the same every time — a 10-ounce pour, brewed with a Keurig. I opted to sample each flavor black, without any cream or sugar addition, so that any flavor notes could shine through accurately without being skewed by additional ingredients.